Catheter insertion device including retractable needle

ABSTRACT

A catheter insertion device for inserting a catheter into a body of a patient is disclosed. The catheter insertion device includes a retractable needle for establishing access to a subcutaneous vessel of the patient and a manually extensible guidewire for guiding the initially attached catheter into the vessel. In one embodiment, the catheter insertion device comprises a housing, a hollow needle retractably extending from the housing, a catheter initially disposed on a portion of the needle, a guidewire including a portion initially disposed within the needle, a guidewire advancement feature configured to selectively advance a distal end of the guidewire distally past a distal end of the needle, and a needle retention component configured to selectively enable retraction of the needle into the housing. The needle retention component is configured to be actuated by the guidewire advancement feature. In one embodiment, one-handed operation of the device is possible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/846,387, filed Sep. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,232,146, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/046,722, filed Sep. 5, 2014, and titled “Guidewire-Assisted Catheter Insertion Device,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Briefly summarized, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a catheter insertion device for inserting a peripheral IV (“PIV”) or other suitable catheter into a body of a patient. The catheter insertion device includes a retractable needle for establishing access to a subcutaneous vessel of the patient and a manually extensible guidewire for guiding the catheter, initially attached to the catheter insertion device, into the vessel. In one embodiment, one-handed operation of the device is possible.

In one embodiment, therefore, the catheter insertion device comprises a housing, a hollow needle retractably extending from the housing, a catheter initially disposed on a portion of the needle, a guidewire including a portion initially disposed within the needle, a guidewire advancement feature configured to selectively advance a distal end of the guidewire distally past a distal end of the needle, and a needle retention component configured to selectively enable retraction of the needle into the housing. The needle retention component is configured to be actuated by the guidewire advancement feature.

These and other features of embodiments of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of embodiments of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more particular description of the present disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. Example embodiments of the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A-1F show various views of a catheter insertion device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a needle hub assembly of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 1A-1F;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a plate of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 1A-1F;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 1A-1F;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a distal portion of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 1A-1F;

FIGS. 6A-6E shows various views of a catheter insertion device according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are various cutaway views of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 6A-6E;

FIG. 8 is a top cutaway view of the catheter insertion device of FIGS. 6A-6E;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are various views of a catheter assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an end view of a catheter assembly according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of a catheter assembly according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to figures wherein like structures will be provided with like reference designations. It is understood that the drawings are diagrammatic and schematic representations of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are neither limiting nor necessarily drawn to scale.

For clarity it is to be understood that the word “proximal” refers to a direction relatively closer to a clinician using the device to be described herein, while the word “distal” refers to a direction relatively further from the clinician. For example, the end of a catheter placed within the body of a patient is considered a distal end of the catheter, while the catheter end remaining outside the body is a proximal end of the catheter. Also, the words “including,” “has,” and “having,” as used herein, including the claims, shall have the same meaning as the word “comprising.”

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a catheter insertion device for inserting a peripheral IV (“NV”) or other suitable catheter into a body of a patient. The catheter insertion device includes a retractable needle for establishing access to a subcutaneous vessel of the patient, for instance, and a manually extensible guidewire for guiding the catheter, initially attached to the catheter insertion device, into the vessel. In one embodiment, one-handed operation of the device is possible.

FIGS. 1A-1F depict various views of a catheter insertion device (“device”) 10 according to one embodiment. As shown, the device 10 includes a housing 12 defined by a top housing portion 12A and a bottom housing portion 12B, though it is appreciated that the housing can be integrally formed as a single piece or include more than two portions, in other embodiments.

A hollow needle 14 initially and distally extends from a distal portion of the housing 12 and includes a distal end 14B that is configured to establish an insertion site for a catheter through the skin and vessel of the patient, in the present embodiment. A needle hub 16 is disposed in the housing 12 and secures the needle. A flash chamber 17 is included in the needle hub 16 and a proximal end 14A of the needle 14 is disposed therein so as to allow blood to enter the flash chamber when needle access to a vessel of the patient is established. The flash chamber 17 and adjacent portions of the housing 12 are translucent in one embodiment to enable clinician observation of blood when present in the flash chamber.

FIG. 2 gives additional details of the needle hub 16. As shown, the needle hub 16 further includes a distal, conical nose portion 19 that initially extends from the distal end of the housing 12 (FIG. 1C). A reduced-diameter neck 52 is included between the nose portion 19 and a more proximal, cylindrical portion of the needle hub 16.

A spring 18 is interposed between the flash chamber 17 and a distal portion of the housing 12 to enable selective retraction of the needle 14 fully into the housing so as to prevent accidental needle sticks after use of the device 10. Note that the size, type, position, and orientation of the spring is but one of various possible spring configurations. In addition, other resilient features or retraction mechanisms can be employed to selectively retract the needle into the housing.

A catheter assembly 60, including an elongate catheter tube 62 defining one or more lumens and a hub 64, is initially disposed over the needle 14 such that needle is received into the lumen of the catheter tube, as shown in FIG. 1A. Note that the catheter assembly 60 has been removed from various of the figures to be discussed herein, for clarity.

The device 10 in the present embodiment includes a guidewire advancement assembly for selectively advancing a guidewire 22 that is initially disposed both within the housing 12 and within a lumen defined by the hollow needle 14. As best seen in FIG. 1F, a proximal end of the guidewire 22 is attached to a guidewire hub 28 such that the guidewire extends distally into the flash chamber 17, through the proximal end 14A of the hollow needle 14, and into the lumen defined by the needle. The guidewire hub 28 includes two fins 30 that extend in opposite directions from one another and are configured to be slidably received in corresponding tracks 32 that are defined in a guidewire advancement handle 20, best seen in FIGS. 1C and 1D. The arrangement of the fins 30 and tracks 32 enable the guidewire hub 28 to separate from the guidewire advancement handle 20, as will be described further below.

In greater detail, the guidewire advancement handle 20 is slidably attached to the housing 12 so as to selectively advance or retract the guidewire 22. The guidewire advancement handle 20 includes a rail 26 that is disposed in a slot 24 of the top portion 12A of the housing 12 so as to enable the guidewire advancement handle to slide proximally and distally along the slot. A finger pad 21 is included on the guidewire advancement handle 20 to enable a user of the device 10 to selectively slide the guidewire advancement handle. Note that the size, shape, position, and configuration of the guidewire advancement handle 20 and finger pad 21 can vary from what is explicitly shown and described herein.

So configured, distal advancement of the guidewire 22 is accomplished by a user placing a finger on the finger pad 21 of the guidewire advancement handle 20 and sliding it from an initial proximal position to a more distal position with respect to the housing 12. This distal advancement of the guidewire advancement handle 20 also advances both the guidewire hub 28, which is removably attached to the guidewire advancement handle via the tracks 32 that receive the guidewire hub fins 30, as already described, and the guidewire 22 itself such that a distal portion thereof extends out of and distally past the distal end 14B of the needle 14. Note that other guidewire advancement handle and finger pad designs and configurations are possible in addition to those described herein.

A needle retention assembly is also included and in the present embodiment includes a needle retention component 40 to selectively enable retraction of the needle 14 into the housing after use of the device 10 so as to protect the user from an accidental needle stick. In the present embodiment, the needle retention component 40 includes a plate 42 that is movably disposed in a slot 46 defined at the distal end of the housing 12, as seen in FIGS. 1B-1F.

In greater detail and as seen in FIG. 3, the plate 42 defines a keyhole 44 that includes a semicircular portion 44A and a circular portion 44B, as shown. As seen in FIG. 1B, the plate 42 is initially placed in the slot 46 of the housing 12 in an un-depressed position such that the needle hub 16 extends through the keyhole 44. Specifically, the semicircular portion 44A of the keyhole 44 receives the neck 52 of the needle hub 16 such that the needle hub seats in the keyhole. Note that, in one embodiment, a spring or other component can be employed to maintain the plate 42 in the un-depressed position shown in FIG. 1B.

The plate 42 further includes an angled surface 48 (also referred to herein as a second angled surface) on a top edge thereof such that the angled face faces proximally. The angled surface 48 is configured to interact with a distally-facing angled surface 34 (also referred to herein as a first angled surface) disposed on the distal end of the guidewire advancement handle 20 when the guidewire advancement handle is distally advanced to distally extend the guidewire 22 out the distal end 14B of the needle 14, as will be further detailed below. Note that the angle, direction, shape, and other configuration of the first and second angled faces can vary from what is shown and described herein. For instance, in one embodiment the direction of the angled faces could be reversed from what is shown here. In another embodiment, the first and second angled surfaces can be replaced with engagement surfaces that interact to cause retraction of the needle into the housing.

The selective retraction of the needle 14 via actuation of the needle retention assembly described above is described here in connection with use of the device 10 to insert a catheter or other suitable tubular device the body of a patient, according to one embodiment and as depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B. During operation, the needle 14 is first used to pierce through an insertion site on the skin surface of the patient and extend the distal end 14B of the needle into a subcutaneous vessel (or other intended destination). The guidewire advancement handle 20 is then slid distally from its proximal position with respect to the housing 12 so as to extend the guidewire 22 out the open distal end of the needle 14 and into the vessel. The guidewire 22 distally advances in this manner until the guidewire hub 28 contacts a proximal end 17A of the flash chamber 17, which ceases further distal guidewire movement. This is generally shown in FIG. 4A. The catheter assembly 60 can then be manually and distally advanced from the device 10 and inserted into the vessel, guided by the needle 14 and the guidewire 22.

The device 10 can then be retracted away from the patient. At this time, the guidewire advancement handle 20 is slid further distally along the slot 24 in the top housing portion 12A. As the guidewire advancement handle 20 slides distally, the guidewire hub 28—abutting the proximal end 17A of the flash chamber 17 as described above—separates from the guidewire advancement handle via its fins 30 sliding out of the tracks 32 (FIG. 1D) as the guidewire advancement handle distally advances. The guidewire advancement handle 20 continues to slide distally until its first angled surface 34 engages and pushes down on the second angled surface 48 of the plate 42—the needle retention component 40 of the present embodiment. This causes the plate 42 to move from the un-depressed position shown in FIGS. 1B, 4A, and 5 to the depressed position shown in FIG. 4B. In turn, this causes the neck 52 of the needle hub 16 to unseat from the semicircular portion 44A of the plate keyhole 44 and to align with the circular portion 44A thereof.

No longer constrained by the plate 42, the needle hub 16 can now retract proximally within the housing, urged by the force of the spring 18, which can now expand from a compressed state (FIG. 5) to an expanded state (FIG. 4B). Retraction of the needle hub 16 causes the corresponding retraction of the needle 14 into the housing 12 until the distal end 14B thereof is disposed within the housing so as to prevent accidental needle sticks to the user. The proximal retraction of the needle hub 16 and connected flash chamber 17 correspondingly causes the guidewire hub 28 to also retract, given its abutment against the proximal end 17A of the flash chamber. This will correspondingly cause retraction of the guidewire 22 a predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the guidewire can be fully retracted into the housing. The now-placed catheter assembly 60 can then be dressed and the device 10 disposed of or otherwise safely handled.

In one embodiment, it is appreciated that detents or other features can be used to provide an aural and/or tactile cue when the guidewire advancement handle has advanced the guidewire to its full distal distance, when the guidewire advancement handle itself has advanced its full distal distance, and/or when other points along the travel path have been reached by the guidewire advancement handle. It is further appreciated that the device 10 of the present embodiment can be operated by only one hand of the user, thus facilitating ease-of-use.

FIGS. 6A-6E depict various views of the catheter insertion device (“device”) 10 according to another embodiment. As shown, the device 10 includes a housing 112 defined by a top housing portion 112A and a bottom housing portion 112B, though it is appreciated that the housing can be integrally formed as a single piece or include more than two portions, in other embodiments.

A hollow needle 114 initially and distally extends from a distal portion of the housing 112 and includes a distal end 114B that is configured to establish an insertion site for a catheter through the skin and vessel of the patient, in the present embodiment. A needle hub 116 is disposed in the housing 112 and secures the needle. A flash chamber 117 is included in the needle hub 116 and a proximal end 114A of the needle 114 is disposed therein so as to allow blood to enter the flash chamber when needle access to a vessel of the patient is established. As before, the flash chamber and adjacent portions of the housing 112 are translucent in one embodiment to enable clinician observation of blood when present in the flash chamber.

A spring 118 is interposed between the flash chamber 117 and a distal portion of the housing 112 to enable selective retraction of the needle 114 fully into the housing so as to prevent accidental needle sticks after use of the device 10. Note that the size, type, position, and orientation of the spring is but one of various possible spring configurations. In addition, other resilient features or retraction mechanisms can be employed to selectively retract the needle into the housing.

The catheter assembly 60, including the elongate catheter tube 62 and the hub 64, is initially disposed over the needle 114 such that needle is received into the lumen of the catheter tube, as shown in FIG. 6A. The catheter assembly 60 is removably attached to the device 10 in a manner to be described further below. Note that the catheter assembly 60 has been removed from various of the figures to be discussed herein, for clarity.

The device 10 in the present embodiment includes a guidewire advancement assembly for selectively advancing a guidewire 122 that initially extends from within the housing 12 and into a lumen defined by the hollow needle 114. As best seen in FIGS. 6C and 7A, a proximal end of the guidewire 122 is attached to a guidewire hub 128 such that the guidewire extends distally into the flash chamber 117 and through the proximal end 114A of the needle 114 and into the lumen define by the hollow needle.

The guidewire hub 128 is attached to a guidewire advancement handle 120, best seen in FIGS. 6A and 7A. In greater detail, the guidewire advancement handle 120 is slidably attached to the housing 112 via a slot 124 defined in the top housing portion 112A so as to selectively advance or retract the guidewire 122 when the guidewire advancement handle is slid distally or proximally, respectively, along the slot. A finger pad 121 is included on the guidewire advancement handle 120 to enable a user of the device 10 to selectively slide the guidewire advancement handle. As shown, the guidewire advancement handle includes an elongate body 170 that includes on its proximal end a raised portion 172, configured here as a block that assists in preventing the elongate body from falling through the slot 124. The guidewire hub 128 is also disposed on a proximal portion of the guidewire advancement handle body 170 so as to be disposed within the housing 112, as best seen in FIG. 6C. Note that the size, shape, position, and configuration of the guidewire advancement handle and finger pad can vary from what is explicitly shown and described herein.

So configured, distal advancement of the guidewire 122 is accomplished by a user placing a finger on the finger pad 121 of the guidewire advancement handle 120 and sliding it from an initial proximal position to a more distal position with respect to the housing 112. This distal advancement of the guidewire advancement handle 120 also advances both the guidewire hub 28, which is attached to the guidewire advancement handle body 170, and the guidewire 122 itself such that a distal end 122B thereof extends out of and distally past the distal end 114B of the needle 114. Note that other guidewire advancement handle and finger pad designs and configurations are possible in addition to those described herein.

A needle retention assembly is also included and in the present embodiment includes a needle retention component 40 to selectively enable retraction of the needle 114 into the housing after use of the device 10 so as to protect the user from an accidental needle stick. In the present embodiment, the needle retention component 40 includes two retention arms 180 that extend radially outward and distally from the flash chamber 117 of the needle hub 116, as best seen in FIG. 8. The length of each of the retention arms 180 is such that they terminate distal to the distal end of the housing 112. A hook 182 is included on each retention arm 180. The hooks 182 are configured to engage with threads 66 included on the hub 64 of the catheter assembly 60 so as to retain the catheter assembly in engagement with the device 10 during the initial phases of the catheter insertion procedure. It is appreciated that the shape, size, and configuration of the retention arms and the manner of engagement with the catheter assembly and its hub can vary from what is shown and described herein.

The selective retraction of the needle 114 via actuation of the needle retention assembly described above is described here in connection with use of the device 10 to insert a catheter or other suitable tubular device the body of a patient, according to one embodiment and as depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B. During operation, the needle 114 is first used to pierce through an insertion site on the skin surface of the patient and extend the distal end 114B of the needle into a subcutaneous vessel (or other intended destination). The guidewire advancement handle 120 is then slid distally from its proximal position with respect to the housing 112 so as to extend the guidewire 122 out the open distal end of the needle 114 and into the vessel. The guidewire 122 distally advances in this manner until a distal portion of guidewire advancement handle 120 impinges on a distal portion of the housing 112 and/or the distal end of the slot 124. Note that, in other embodiments, a locking mechanism can be included so as to lock the guidewire advancement handle after distal advancement so as to prevent inadvertent movement thereof.

The catheter assembly 60 can then be manually removed from the device 10 and distally advanced from the device 10 and inserted into the vessel, guided by the needle 14 and the guidewire 22. The catheter is removed by the user by manually twisting the catheter hub 64 so as to release the threads 66 thereof from engagement with the hooks 182 of the retention arms 180. A finger tab 190 included on the catheter hub 64, seen in FIGS. 6A and 7A, can be employed to assist the user in twisting the catheter hub. The finger tab 190 can assist the user in twisting the catheter hub 64 with the same hand that is grasping the device 10, in one embodiment. Once released in this manner, the catheter tube 62 can be distally advanced into the vessel, as just described.

Engagement of the catheter hub threads 66 with the hooks 182 of the retention arms 180 prevents retraction of the retraction arms and, correspondingly, the needle hub 116 and attached needle 114. Upon detachment of the catheter assembly 60 from the retraction arms 180, as described above, the needle hub 116 can now retract proximally within the housing, urged by the force of the spring 118, which can now expand from a compressed state (FIG. 7A) to an expanded state (FIG. 7B). Retraction of the needle hub 116 causes the corresponding retraction of the needle 114 into the housing 112 until the distal end 114B thereof is disposed within the housing so as to prevent accidental needle sticks to the user.

Despite retraction of the needle 114, the guidewire 122 remains in its distally extended state within the vessel. The catheter assembly 60 is distally advanced into the vessel as desired, after which the device 10 can be withdrawn from the patient, which causes removal of the guidewire 122 from the vessel and insertion site. The catheter assembly 60 can be dressed as needed and the device 10 disposed of or otherwise safely handled.

FIGS. 9A and 9B depict various details of the catheter assembly 60 for use with the catheter insertion device 10 described herein in connection with FIGS. 6A-8 or with other suitable catheter insertion devices. As shown, the catheter hub 64 includes the finger tab 190, described further above as a component to assist with twisting of the catheter hub by the user in order to separate the catheter assembly 60 from the device 10. As best seen in FIG. 9B, the finger tab 190 can include a profile 192, such as rounded, as shown here. Other profiles are also possible, including squared, as shown in FIG. 10, or elongated as shown in FIG. 11. Of course, various other finger tab profiles are also possible.

In light of the above, in one embodiment, a catheter insertion device, such as the devices 10 described herein, can be manufactured in one embodiment by providing a housing with a guidewire and a guidewire advancement feature, such as the guidewire advancement assemblies discussed herein, including the guidewire advancement handles 20, 120 and associated components. A needle is also provided so as to retractably extend from the housing, and a catheter assembly is removably disposed on the needle. A needle retention assembly is also included with the catheter insertion device, such as the needle retention component 40 described above, for enabling selective retraction of the needle into the housing to prevent accidental needle sticks.

Embodiments of the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, not restrictive. The scope of the embodiments is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, comprising: accessing a catheter insertion device comprising: a housing; a needle including a needle hub, a needle lumen, and a needle tip, the needle hub having a portion in the housing; a catheter coupled to a catheter hub, the catheter positioned over the needle such that the needle tip extends past a distal end of the catheter; a guidewire having a proximal end attached to a guidewire hub; a guidewire handle coupled to the guidewire, the guidewire handle including a finger pad positioned on a surface of the housing; and a plate movably disposed in a slot defined in the housing, the plate having a portion extending outside of the housing; inserting the needle tip and the distal end of the catheter into the blood vessel; sliding the finger pad from a first position, in which a distal end of the guidewire is disposed in the needle lumen, to a second position, in which the distal end of the guidewire extends past the needle tip; advancing the catheter over the guidewire into the blood vessel; and sliding the finger pad from the second position to a third position distal of the second position, causing the guidewire handle to detach from the guidewire hub.
 2. The method of inserting according to claim 1, wherein the catheter insertion device further comprises a spring positioned over the needle hub in the housing, wherein sliding the finger pad into contact with the plate moves the plate out of contact with the portion of the needle hub, permitting the spring to retract the needle into the housing.
 3. The method of inserting according to claim 2, wherein the catheter insertion device further comprises a flash chamber coupled to the needle hub, the flash chamber having a diameter greater than a diameter of the needle hub, wherein the spring is compressed between the flash chamber and the plate.
 4. The method of inserting according to claim 1, wherein the guidewire hub includes opposing fins removably positioned in a track coupled to the guidewire handle, wherein sliding the finger pad to the second position engages the opposing fins, and wherein sliding the finger pad to the third position moves the opposing fins out of the track.
 5. The method of inserting according to claim 1, wherein the finger pad includes a first angled surface, wherein the portion of the plate extending outside of the housing includes a second angled surface, and wherein sliding the finger pad into contact with the plate engages the first angled surface with the second angled surface.
 6. The method of inserting according to claim 5, wherein the plate includes a keyhole including a semicircular portion and a circular portion, wherein the portion of the needle hub is disposed in the semicircular portion, and wherein engagement of the first angled surface with the second angled surface moves the plate to position the portion of the needle hub in the circular portion.
 7. The method of inserting according to claim 6, wherein the catheter insertion device further comprises a flash chamber coupled to the needle hub, the flash chamber having a diameter greater than a diameter of the needle hub, wherein a spring is compressed between the flash chamber and the plate, the spring retracting the needle into the housing when the portion of the needle hub is positioned in the circular portion of the plate.
 8. The method of inserting according to claim 1, wherein each of the steps: accessing the catheter insertion device, inserting the needle tip and the distal end of the catheter into the blood vessel, sliding the finger pad from the first position to the second position, and sliding the finger pad from the second position to the third position, is performed using a single hand without removing the single hand from the catheter insertion device. 